Braxton Davenport came to Fork Union Military Academy from Charles Town, West Virginia as a seventh grader in 1986. By the time he graduated in 1991, Davenport had won numerous championships across Virginia and the United States, set dozens of individual meet and facility records in the pole vault, and as a leader paced FUMA to numerous team championships.
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In the Eastman Kodak Invitational (Johnson City TN), Davenport became Virginia's first schoolboy to vault 16-feet, a height he later cleared or bettered a dozen times while at FUMA. Winning the Golden South, he set a FUMA school record with a height of 16’ 9 1/2". His clearance 16' 1/2" at the Penn Relays set a record that lasted sixteen years.
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Other significant wins include the National Scholastic Indoor Championship (Syracuse), East Coast Invitational (Richmond), Volunteer Track Classic (Knoxville), Sunkist Invitational (Los Angeles), TC Williams Invitational (Alexandria), and the VISAA State Championship four times. As a senior, Davenport was Virginia's selection to the Gatorade Circle of Champions.
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Davenport was the recipient of FUMA’s Randle Award as the most outstanding undergraduate athlete, and the Captain's Medal as the team captain with the highest academic average.
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After graduating from FUMA, Davenport took his talents to George Mason University, where he was twice Colonial Athletic Association Champion in the pole vault.